2 1/2 years later, still having DPS and stalling issues...

[Bryk]

My Dynamic Power Steering intermittently works, and my 2013 STS manual sometimes stalls when I pull the clutch in and are idling at a stop(usually when it is hot).

I'm not sure what to do. The dealer tells me the DPS is just a low battery issue and that it is the first thing to lose power. Well I just got a new battery a month ago and it's happening. It is somewhat intermittent in that it will happen for awhile and then stop(like a few weeks on and off). So I've been afraid to bring it in, as there is no code. This starting happening within months of purchase (probably August/September 2013) when I got it in March.

I've tried to blame there being other electronics plugged in for all this time. First it was the junky poorly painted, poorly craftsmanship corbin trunk with it's non-functional light, then I thought it was my stereo/Ipod. Now I'm considering it is my Garmin GPS's holder having a new fuse (aka working again).

I'm not expecting anything from BRP or my dealer in terms of assistance. With my luck when I bring it in they will say the DPS is working. I'm just not sure what I can do.

As for the stalling I've thought it was related to having low/bad gas. Then I thought it was for not running 91/93. Now I think it happens when the bike is hot AND my stereo is playing (electrical???)

In any case I am now weighing my options. I'm afraid to throw money away by brining it into the dealer and them telling me there is nothing wrong with it.

How much would a new DPS be? I imagine BRP won't care at all even though I started calling my dealer within months of ownership.

The DPS is so bad sometimes that mid turn it can turn on or off. However that is a new occurrence, it has pretty much turned on and off since the issue started, but usually stays off once it turns off during a ride.

Any ideas/guidance?

[JayBros]

Is your Spyder still under warranty or do you have an extended warranty? If yes, insist the dealer open a case with BRP. If no, the choice is yours. There are a lot of electrical connections that if not good could cause problems. You could first check that all the fuses and relays are properly seated; remove and reseat each. On the stalling, sorry, I don't have a clue.

[Bob Denman]

I'm sorry to hear that you're still having this problem...
It actually might just be a "low voltage" situation...
How many accessories are you running on your bike?
Do you use a Battery Tender?
How long are the typical rides that you take?

The 650 watt magneto does a decent job of keeping the battery charged:
If your rides are long enough to give it time to charge...
If you don't have a lot of extra power being drained...
If you ride often enough to allow the magneto to do it's job.

We need a bit more info about the situation, before any useful opinions might be able to help you...

[Bryk]

I'm sorry to hear that you're still having this problem...
It actually might just be a "low voltage" situation...
How many accessories are you running on your bike?
Do you use a Battery Tender?
How long are the typical rides that you take?

The 650 watt magneto does a decent job of keeping the battery charged:
If your rides are long enough to give it time to charge...
If you don't have a lot of extra power being drained...
If you ride often enough to allow the magneto to do it's job.

We need a bit more info about the situation, before any useful opinions might be able to help you...

I have the GPS holder, Ipod, Heated grips and Stereo.(all installed by dealer when I bought it)
I plug in the tender every night. It shows full every morning.

I take a 20 minute ride to and from work.

[Bob Denman]

That doesn't sound like an unusual load on the magneto...
If your bike is still under warranty; tell your dealer to contact BRP; something is going on under the Tupperware, and they need to figure it out.
Good Luck!

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

IMHO......you may have most of your issues with the dealer !!!!!........and that can be a real problem.......Just because you aren't getting a visible CODE doesn't mean it isn't being registered in the Spyder's computer system and a knowledgeable Tech can find it with the BUDS system.......and the Warranty continues until they get it FIXED because you reported it awhile ago......I would immediately start a case with BRP and explain everything that has happened..........Also ADD some STAR washers onto your Battery bolts then tighten them down ....they will never loosen by themselves ....so this will never be part of the issue.............I'm not familiar with the GOOD dealers who may be near you ................MAYBE SOMEONE WILL CHIME IN ON THIS ........Mike

[Bob Denman]

I didn't want to say it, but this is certainly a possibility...

[Chupaca]

seems you have afaulty connection somewhere. Don't know who installed all your mods but good place to start is in the ground straps battery connections and dps connections. I do agree the second opinion (another dealer) is a good idea. The dps is very sensative to voltage changes and the engine cutting off could be the same reason. should not have been giving you problems this long nor should your battery have gone out so soon....

[Lew L]

I would check the battery voltage with the motor NOT running and then running and at a higher RPM. Also, Sooooo many problems are caused by poor connections, check as many as you can.

Bad connectons cause:::
Kaos

[ARtraveler]

Dealer issues can be a problem. The is touchy when it comes to electronics. Some dealers don't have a clue or do not want to take the time.

Case in point: A new owner purchased a new RT from dealer A here in AK last summer. They had pretty much the same issues for a whole year. Many return trips to dealer A. I told them that they should check with dealer E and explain the symptoms. The culprit was a loose battery connection. Took dealer E about 10 minutes to solve the problem. The people have been very happy with their new . They were considering getting rid of their POS . IMO--knowledgeable dealers do make a difference.

[jerpinoy]

I have noticed many of us have these problems. When we first get our we are so happy and proud. Then we start installing gadgetssssss and everything starts to have problems. If you do want to add any gadgets please make sure its with in the capability of your . Even professionals installing these stuff failed us. Good luck JMHO.

[Bryk]

Don't all laugh at me at once. I think it is my battery tender terminals that stay connected to the battery. I've tried having them on the battery side, on the far side of the bike's battery terminals and I've always had issues with it. I disconnected the tender entirely at the gas station this morning and it was fine the rest of the ride.


My guess is it somehow is related to the AMP draw from the bike. I don't know how to reconnect my tender though. Do I just have to not use one? I am worried since I usually only ride 20 minutes each way to work during the week.

I think in theory if the amp draw is too low, and if the first thing the bike cuts out is the power steering (why it was designed this way I will never know) it makes sense. It seems the most dangerous thing to cut first, right after braking, followed by the engine.

It would also explain my stalling issue. I think that happens for the same reason. When it is hot, (IE bike checks its temperature), has stereo already drawing from the battery, then does a "power draw/check" on the fan to see if it has to run it since the bike is idling(IE in neutral or clutch is pulled in and engine disengaged), and at the second it doesn't have the power for the fan check, stalls.

I wonder if this is why the F3 doesn't have a stereo. I actually would want to get the F3 next whenever my ST is done, but then I recently finally looked into it, and it appears it doesn't have a stereo.


So oddly enough, I think my old two culprits over the last two years were the battery tender, and the corbin trunk. The corbin trunk would essentially never stop drawing power and would kill my battery. After having my battery jumped 3-4 times and finally giving up on the corbin trunk light completely (it is disconnected); I just always figured it was a bad battery after being told by the dealer that the power steering is what is cut first on a low voltage battery.

Would electrical grease work? Or maybe the star washers be enough?

[Bob Denman]

I'm glad to hear that you may have found the answer!
Since you're still at the beginning of the discovery process; please keep us informed about how this all turns out.

[Bryk]

I'm glad to hear that you may have found the answer!
Since you're still at the beginning of the discovery process; please keep us informed about how this all turns out.

I am often quite the fool when it comes to declaring victory on these types of issues sometimes, however I am at least a foolish optimist.

It stinks having dealt with it, but sadly through this I have always loved the Spyder. The joy it brings me when I am riding and have power steering is worth it. haha

[Bob Denman]

"To all of us Foolish Optimists"!!

Even with the challenges that they provide; these bikes are FUN!

[qasamm]

It is interesting that you mention the Corbin trunk as a constant draw issue. I never made the connection between the two but my battery drain issues did begin soon after adding mine to my RS. I frequently would get errors and low battery messages despite having it parked with a tender when not riding and replacing the battery twice. All else checked out on the spyder but I never tested the trunk box light as the leak.


Sam Mancuso
2015 F3-S and 2009 RS

[Bryk]

It is interesting that you mention the Corbin trunk as a constant draw issue. I never made the connection between the two but my battery drain issues did begin soon after adding mine to my RS. I frequently would get errors and low battery messages despite having it parked with a tender when not riding and replacing the battery twice. All else checked out on the spyder but I never tested the trunk box light as the leak.


Sam Mancuso
2015 F3-S and 2009 RS

My first issue with it was that I couldn't have it be both a brake and running light. I thought if I had it just to the brake it would be ok. It seems I would have to install a switch and manually turn it on (the draw) when I turn on the bike, and off. I figured it probably wasn't worth it.

My bike was literally not starting very soon after the installation, which by the way was done by the corbin tech, whom took two days at Lacona to do it because he couldn't get both lights to work and finally gave up.

On the corbin note, if anyone ever has a question, I have nothing but disgust with the quality, yet I was foolish enough to buy their seat too, which ruined my ignition ($200) as the release broke when I installed their seat, as the seat doesn't release since it isn't a perfect fit. All because I wanted to have a gas door.

I want saddle bags, but I think I'll make the smart choice this time and go with the BRP ones.

[AMTJIM]

Weird, sounds like the terminal lugs of the tender wiring were touching frame or bouncing off giving you the intermittent steering. Without seeing it, I guess it could be the battery portion of the tender harness internally shorting like at the connection point or the connector touching metal/battery posts while riding.
Is your battery tender a type thats on the bike permanently and a extention cord from the wall or does it plug into the wall itself and have a cord to the battery connector?

[obiwanbill]

seems you have afaulty connection somewhere. Don't know who installed all your mods but good place to start is in the ground straps battery connections and dps connections. I do agree the second opinion (another dealer) is a good idea. The dps is very sensative to voltage changes and the engine cutting off could be the same reason. should not have been giving you problems this long nor should your battery have gone out so soon....

My DPS/check engine lite kept coming on during a 100mile trip...was fearing a 3 week wait to get into the dealer (backlogged in Summer) 3-4 weeks waiting on some backlogged parts from Canada and losing 2-3 months of riding with a hefty repair bill. reading these posts,
after taking off some tupperware, i checked the 2 battery screws...both loose. apparently that was the cause. whoo hoo

[loisk]

Interesting find re tender location - hope it's solved your issues. On our ST we have the battery tender hooked up to the jumper posts the ST has (ie not on the battery itself), and it works well (in-line fuse to 12v point which doubles as location for my heated vest). Jumper posts are under the black pop-off thingo at the top that you can pop off when you open the frunk, on left hand side when sitting on the bike. Could work for your tender. We've had no problems at all since adding this bit of wire. We found a small 12v outlet and it fit nicely between the bits on the dash (park brake, heated grips square thingo location), and only one panel removed to route the cable.

[lawson001]

Here goes nothing - this is my first reply to a post, hope it works. please bear with me.

For almost two years I had a problem with my [purchased used] 2008 GS "hiccuping" at engine speeds >5000 RPM. Battery light would flicker, battery tender gave the unit a full charge. Dealer read BUDS, said bad speed sensor on rear wheel, replaced. No cure. I removed evap canister, replaced plugs, wires, coil and better. No change - <hiccup>. Then Lamonster suggested checking the master frame ground connection for the battery located under the seat. At that point I would have pulled monkeys out of clowns' butts if iI thought it would work. Although the bolt and nut could not be turned by hand, they did move with wrench. Torqued the not/bolt tight and viola! No more hiccups!

So while I don't know the details of how DPS works, what the heck, Spyders are touchy on the electronics, give it a whirl.

Good Luck!